Reckless Hearts
by Alien-Writes
Summary: Ayame's simple life is upturned one night when a rather drunk Rokudaime pays her a visit at Ichiraku after closing time.
1. After Hours

Hey guys! There is a serious lack of Ayame/Kakashi fics and I hope to remedy that! No, I will not be giving up KakaSaku. Yes, I will be back to updating them more regularly now that my semester is ending. I hope you all enjoy this fic!

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"You sure we can't convince you to come out with us, Ayame?"

The woman lifted her head from the cash register she stood behind and smiled to the men making their way out the door. It was closing time at Ichiraku, and two servers and the cook stood by the front doors waiting for her answer. With a smile, Ayame shook her head and gestured to the money she had been counting. "Not tonight, guys. Maybe next time."

One of the servers hung his head a bit lower than the rest. Ayame knew that Jin liked her and had been hoping that by brushing him off every time he asked her out, he would get the hint that she didn't feel the same. Since the day her father had hired him, he had asked her out at every turn. Tonight, was no different. He sighed and hung back for just a moment longer than the others and Ayame waited patiently for the inevitable sales pitch.

"You know, you always say that," he smiled, resting an elbow on the corner of the front counter. "What will it take to get you to loosen up and have fun for once?" He gave her one of his infamous grins, the kind that he only gave to women he was interested in and while it usually worked, it never did on Ayame. He hated that it was powerless against her.

Ayame scowled but resisted the urge to tell him that talking to her like that was a sure way to keep her from ever going out with him. Half the reason Jin liked her was because she had managed to resist him for the past eight months. Well, that's what she suspected anyway. She had seen him meet with countless, different women after his shifts and she had no desire to be another one.

Smiling as sarcastically as she could, she reached out and pinched Jin's cheek, letting him know exactly what she thought of him. "Maybe if your idea of fun wasn't getting stupid drunk at the bar and going home with a different girl every night, I'd be more willing to come."

Jin ignored her attempt to put him in his place, the corner of his lip lifting in a wicked smirk. "Oh, I could make you willing to come, Ayame."

"Ugh," she rolled her eyes and went back to counting the stack of cash and checks she had pulled from the register. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Jin spin on his heel and make his way out the door to meet up with the other men who matched his deviant lifestyle. Their laughter echoed through the streets and though she hadn't been paying too much attention, she could only guess that their minds were already in the gutter.

Ayame was glad to be rid of them for the night. They were good workers, but she could only take so much of the sex jokes and cat calling that they considered so clever and hilarious. All she could hear now was the soft, ambient music playing over the speakers positioned in the corner of the dining room. She counted the rest of the day's profit and gathered it into a bag for the nightly deposit.

Slamming the register drawer shut with her hip, she turned to the kitchen and set the deposit bag down on one of the tables before turning to the kitchen door. From behind her, the bell above the door rang, making her heave an exasperated sigh.

"For the last time, Jin, I'm not coming out to drink with—" The words died on her lips as she whirled around and blinked in surprise at the familiar figure standing just inside the door.

She stood, half of her in the kitchen and half still in the dining area, holding the door open with her jaw nearly dropping to her chest. She quickly clamped her mouth shut and stood up straighter. It had been a while since she had seen Kakashi, especially after he became Hokage. His visits with Naruto were few and far between beforehand and had all but stopped in the past year. After such a long absence from him, Ayame couldn't stop herself from reacting to his presence. Her pulse quickened and all coherent thought in her head went out the window, leaving her to stand there gaping like a fish.

Kakashi shuffled on his feet and pushed his hands into his pockets, glancing around the empty dining room. "Ah, looks like I'm a bit too late."

Too late? Late for what?

Oh. Right. To eat.

Ayame snapped herself out of her daze and shook the confusion from her head, stepping back into the dining area. "Oh, yeah," she laughed. "We actually closed half an hour ago. But, I could still make you something if you're hungry."

Kakashi waved her off, shaking his head. "No, I can't ask you to do that." As soon as the words left his mouth, he hesitated as if he were wondering if he could actually ask her to do that now that he was Hokage. Ayame bit her lip and ducked her head to hide a giggle, before gesturing toward the line of stools along the counter.

"You're the Hokage. I think my father would be horrified if I didn't make you something to eat." She laughed and Kakashi moved toward her. There was a slight stumble to his step, and she realized with a blink that he was drunk. Not as drunk as she had seen some of the men she worked with become but, he was definitely inebriated and the closer he got to her, the more evident it was behind his gaze. She put her hands on her hips and pursed her lips, watching him slide into one of the stools slowly, as if she wouldn't be able to tell if he was extra careful.

He pushed a hand through his hair and breathed a sigh of relief. He turned to smile up at her, but it faltered as soon as he noticed the look of disapproval across her face. "Oh, I know what that look means," he said with a wince.

Ayame sighed and dropped her arms to her side, wishing he didn't look so cute with the warmth of shame touching the small bit of his cheeks that she could see over his mask. He was a grown man with an extremely stressful job. If he wanted to drink, who was she to tell him otherwise? Deciding not to scold him, Ayame leaned against the counter and nodded toward the board behind him where she had written the specials earlier that day. "What would you like to eat, Kakashi-sama?"

With a small scowl sent her way for being so formal with his name, he turned to look over the small menu, rubbing his chin in thought. "You know," he started, twirling back around on the stool to face her once again. "I've never really liked ramen."

She blinked down at him, raising an eyebrow. "Well, you certainly fooled us. I can't count how many times you've sat at our counter, eating a bowl with Naruto." To say she was a bit offended was an understatement. Drunk Kakashi was becoming a bit annoying. How would he like it if she strolled into his office and told him she didn't like the way he led the village? She would never do something like that, but she was sure he would be a bit miffed at her.

Kakashi chuckled at her aggravation and reached for her hand. She held her breath and stared down at his fingers curling around hers. He pulled her toward him, and the room spun around her. What was happening? Why was he touching her? Kakashi looked up at her through his long eyelashes and if she hadn't been so mesmerized, she would have. Once her knees touched his, he stopped tugging on her hand and let it fall from his grasp. "I was humoring Naruto. If I even suggested eating somewhere else, he would be as offended as you right now."

"Well, that didn't stop you from coming in by yourself a few nights out of the month."

"Ayame," Kakashi murmured her name, his voice low enough that it sent a shiver rolling down her body. He was staring at her in a way she had never seen before. Sure, Jin often looked at her when he thought she wouldn't notice, letting his eyes linger on her ass or chest.

But this…

This was heat and desire. It was lust and need and for the first time in a long time, she was feeling something very similar. But, this was ridiculous. He was drunk and knew she had a crush on him a long time ago. This was just an easy conquest for him, and she cursed herself for becoming this involved. It was best to treat this exactly how she would treat any other man in this situation. Laugh it off and pretend it's a joke. But, the laughter she desperately wanted to bubble up from her chest was stuck. She was caught in his gaze like a moth in a spider's web.

"Yes, I came here by myself and I ate a bowl of ramen that I wasn't fond of because I knew you'd be here to serve it to me." Okay, now it was time to fake the laugh and excuse herself to go have a meltdown in the back where he couldn't see. Rolling her eyes with a bitter scoff, Ayame turned away from him. He caught her wrist and stopped her from retreating, standing from his stool to tower over her.

"Surely, you've noticed the way I look at you.".

_Laugh, Ayame. Laugh it off and make him leave before you get yourself into any more trouble than you're already in! _Her head was screaming at her to get a grip and stop this already. He was drunk and just looking for something easy. He didn't like her. He. Was. _Drunk!_

Ayame pushed his shoulder, barely making him move at all, and scoffed at his words. She cursed the way her heart raced and the tremble in her knees that made it hard for her to stand. "You know, you're awfully flirty when you drink—"

His mouth was on hers before she could finish her sentence, catching her completely off guard. One hand gripped his sleeve while the other hung limp at her side. In his haste, he had barely gotten his mask beneath his lips and Ayame could feel it brushing against her chin. All thoughts and breath left her body and all that remained was the feel of his lips on hers. He stepped closer, winding a hand around her waist to bring her nearer to him, his mouth sliding over hers to deepen their kiss.

Ayame blinked a few times before her body became fed up with her inability to respond and took over for her. Her eyes fluttered closed and she released her grip on his sleeve so he could bring his hand up to her hair. The bandana across her head fell away and his fingers raked through the strands it had been covering. She let him pull her head to the side, his lips urging her mouth to open. The feel of his tongue dipping between her lips to meet hers made her toes curl and she let out a tiny moan at the taste of alcohol on him.

His grip on the hair at the nape of her neck tightened enough to make her gasp and Kakashi pushed her back until her thighs hit the counter behind her. He lifted her with one hand, surprising her with his strength. The sudden feel of the countertop beneath her ass made her eyes snap open.

What the hell was happening?

What the _hell _happened to pushing him away and fleeing to the back to have a quick panic attack? How had she let him kiss her? Oh, but, it was so nice to be kissed by him. The feel of his fingers across her skin was electric and she knew she should slap his hand away but knowing that he was touching the bare skin on her side made her want to melt in his arms. The hunger and intensity of his kiss flowed through her, consuming her like a fire.

Ayame gasped as he pulled her legs apart and stepped between them, her skirt pooling around her thighs. She pulled away from him, breathless and trembling. She had almost forgotten how unbearably good looking he was. It made all protests she had been planning to say abruptly stop in the back of her throat. He searched her eyes, waiting for her to stop him and when he found nothing but pure desire in her gaze, he closed the distance between them once more. He kissed her hard, as if he were afraid he'd never get another chance. She let him.

Her hands moved on their own, reaching for his shirt. She pulled at the material until she could slip her hands against the warmth of his bare skin. The muscles rippling across his body, the thin scars scattered over his flesh, it all made her whimper helplessly and she let her fingers trace them down his stomach to the buckle of his belt. She was shaking so hard, terrified of what they were doing. Holding his belt between her fingers triggered the rational part of her brain to start working once again and she froze.

Was she actually planning to...to have sex with the _Hokage _on the counter of the restaurant her father built with his bare hands? It all sounded ridiculous, like a dream she would wake up from any moment. But, she didn't. He was still kissing her, and his hands were still exploring her body. The touch of his hands running up the length of her bare thigh made her gasp and he grinned against her mouth, moving to kiss her jaw and down to her neck. Ayame let her head fall back to give him room and she stared up at the dim lights above her. How many times had she stared up at this ceiling, bored out of her mind while listening to the chatter of customers? Now, she'd never be able to look up at it again without thinking of Kakashi's lips on her neck, or his hands eagerly making their way around the elastic band of her panties.

She had to stop this. No matter how good it felt, no matter how badly she was _needing _it. It had to stop. Now.

Ayame put her hands on his chest and pushed him, turning her head away from his mouth. "Kakashi, I can't do this." She was surprised by how suddenly he stepped away from her. She had expected him to put up more of a fight and for some reason, she was disappointed he hadn't. He pushed a hand through his hair, his chest rising and falling with his ragged breath. His pale lips were pink from kissing her so hard and she watched him reach up to touch them. God, why did he have to look so good? She bit her lip and forced herself to look away from him, knowing the temptation to bring him back again was too strong for her to resist if she was looking at him.

Slowly, she adjusted her skirt and slid off the counter, wanting nothing more than to run into the kitchen for that long-overdue panic attack. Risking a glance to him, she winced. He looked miserable, as if he had nothing but regret for what they had just done. It confirmed her initial belief that he had only seen her as an easy drunken conquest. Their kissing had sobered him up and he was beginning to think twice about her. Clearing her throat, she grabbed the deposit bag from the table she had dropped it on and hugged it to her chest. "I need to finish closing up," she said, her voice barely a whisper.

"Ayame, I-"

She held up a hand to stop him and shook her head, forcing a smile. "It's fine. Really. I won't tell anyone."

Who would believe her anyway?

He watched her for a moment, a strange sadness in his eyes that made her stomach tense up in knots. She could tell that he wanted to say something, that he was searching for the right words but after a few seconds, he sighed and gave up. He turned and pushed the door open before heading out into the night. Once he was clear of her sight, Ayame hurried to the door and twisted the lock. She pressed her forehead against the cool glass, hoping that in his absence the thoughts in her head would calm down. They didn't.

She suspected that they wouldn't calm down anytime soon.

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AN- Let me know what you think!


	2. The Offer

Ayame hadn't been asleep for very long when she was woken up by a loud pounding on her front door. For a moment, she laid in her bed, pressing the pillow around her head to drown out the noise. As far as she was concerned, there was nothing of any importance before six in the morning. But when it was apparent that whoever was outside her door would _not _be going away, she sat up with a sigh.

"Alright! I'm coming!" She shouted, pressing her palm to her forehead to try to ease the ache that thumped behind her eyes.

After the events of the previous night, she had barely gotten an hour of decent sleep. She had spent her entire night in her bedroom, freaking out about what happened between her and Kakashi. Even after replaying it over and over again, it didn't seem real. But, laying in the dark, beneath the sheets in her bed, she could still recall the taste of his tongue and the way his hands had pulled her knees apart so he could step between her thighs. She had forced herself to go to sleep at nearly three in the morning, a pillow between her legs to keep her hands away from herself.

Luckily, she had enough sense the night before to wear something decent and covering to bed, so she didn't have to worry about dressing for her incessant, early morning visitor. The sun hadn't been up for long, but it still managed to shine brightly through her front windows, making her wince from the light. She twisted the deadbolt and pulled the door open, blinking through the sunlight to see a familiar face. It was their head chef, Ichigo and he looked extremely distraught.

Ayame's heart immediately leapt into her throat and her first thought was on her father. Oh no. What happened?

"Ayame-san," he said, shaking his head. "Come quick. Someone broke into Ichiraku."

She felt the color drain from her face and for a moment, she could only stare up at the burly, heavily tattooed man at her door. In her mind, she could see herself standing at the front door of the restaurant, turning the lock after Kakashi had left. She was certain she had locked everything. Heart thundering in her chest, Ayame slipped her feet into her shoes and rushed out of her front door, leaving her head chef struggling to keep up.

Despite the slippers on her feet, she managed to run the entire way across the village without stumbling. She turned the corner onto the street their restaurant was on and came to a stop, covering her mouth with her hands. Little shards of glass were littered across the sidewalk, reflecting the sunlight. The front windows had been shattered, as well as the long panel of glass that ran through the middle of the door. A few men stood around the front of the restaurant, scratching their heads and making notes of the scene. Ayame hurried the rest of the way inside and pushed past the two men discussing what could have happened.

The bottom of her slippers crunched the glass into the carpet, and she gasped as she got a look at the inside of her father's restaurant. Everything from the windows to the pictures frames inside were broken. The leather seats and table clothes were shredded and the counter she had stood at just last night, counting the deposit was trashed. Her eyes lingered on the counter where Kakashi had set her down on before she turned away. A sick feeling settled heavily in Ayame's stomach as she looked at her family's pride and joy. Who could do something like this?

Tears stung the corners of her eyes and she managed to catch sight of her father through the kitchen door. He looked shocked, angry and defeated all at once. When he looked up to see Ayame come through the door, his shoulders fell, and he reached for her. "Oh, thank goodness you're alright." He pressed a kiss to her temple.

"I'm fine," she said with a sniff before stepping away to glance into the kitchen. It seems that whoever had did this to her family, hadn't spared the kitchen. Pots and pans had been flung off the racks, food items from the pantry ripped open and strewed across the floor. The more she looked at it, the less it looked like a robbery. It was an attack. "Do they know anything yet?"

Her father shook his head and rubbed at his eyes. Ayame couldn't ignore the moisture dabbling the tops of his cheeks and her fists clenched angrily at her side.

"They haven't told me much. There was a detective here earlier, wanting to question you since you were the last to close up last night."

Ayame stepped back with a nod, letting her father slip his arm out from around her shoulders. He looked over the top of her head and pointed to the back corner of the dining room where a detective was taking pictures of one of the tables that had been overturned. Teuchi led her through the destruction, helping her step over a picture frame that lay face down on the floor.

She paused to pick it up and sighed at the sight of the photograph. It was the very first Ichiraku Ramen stand. She stood, as a little girl no older than five, next to her father in front of the Grand Opening banner, both of them beaming proud smiles. Clutching the picture to her chest, Ayame followed her father to the man with the disposable camera.

He twisted the dial to the next photo and aimed it toward the leather booth seat. The flash lit up the room and Teuchi cleared his throat, gaining the portly man's attention.

"Ah, yes," he stuffed the camera back into the pocket of his shirt and nodded a hello to her. "I'm sorry that this has happened to your establishment. I've eaten here many times with my kids. It was truly a great place."

She forced a smile, though she didn't like the way he referred to their restaurant in the past tense. The building didn't burn down, they were robbed.

"Thank you," she said, glancing nervously to her father. He excused himself and she watched him make his way to another pair of men coming out of the kitchen. When she turned back to the middle aged detective, he was flipping the first few pages of a small, spiral notebook over. He poked the tip of his pen against his tongue and looked up at Ayame. Her heartbeat was out of control as her mind raced. Surely he wouldn't ask her anything about what she was doing after closing time...right?

"Now, walk me through your night last night. And try to remember if there were any customers who seemed irate or suspicious."

She did her best to explain her night, from the dinner rush to locking the front door. What she didn't mention was a visit from the Hokage half an hour after closing. But, that didn't really matter. Kakashi definitely hadn't been the one to do this and no one had come in after him anyway. "After locking the front door, I went through and turned all of the lights off and went out the back door in the kitchen."

The detective scribbled quickly along with her as she went through the whole thing and after she stopped, he kept going. After a moment, he looked up and pointed the tip of his pen toward the front door. "The lock wasn't broken, and the back door wasn't touched. It seems like whoever did this, wanted to cause destruction more than steal anything important. Nine times out of ten, it's gonna be some punks."

From behind her, her father stepped back toward her and the detective, sighing heavily. Ayame could see his age etched into the deep lines on his face. It broke her heart to see him like this. She didn't care if it was just _some punks_ who did this. She wanted to see them caught and make them pay. She reached out and pulled her father close, hugging him to her side as he put an arm around her. "The detectives are going to look at the security footage to see if they can see who did this."

Ayame felt the color slowly drain from her face as his words sunk into her head. Security footage. What security footage? There were no cameras in the restaurant, or none that she knew about anyway. Oh god, what if he they had been installed and no one ever informed her? What if they showed everything she and Kakashi had done? She tried to mask her horror with confusion and glanced between her father and the detectives. "S-security footage?"

The detective gave a nod to the front windows of the restaurant and pointed the end of his pen in the same direction. "The bank across the street has some cameras above the front doors that seem to be pointed this way. We're hoping to get copies of them sometime today."

Ayame breathed a small sigh of relief but she wasn't out of the clear yet. That footage would definitely show the Hokage coming into the restaurant. It would show him staying inside for a while and she prayed to every deity possible that it didn't have a clear view of inside the front windows. How had she been so stupid as to make out with the Hokage right in the middle of the dining area? She wanted to dig a hole right there and bury herself until this whole thing blew over. How would she ever face anyone ever again if they knew?

"I think we've got everything we need. If you want to go home and rest, we'll update you on anything new that comes our way." The detective stood and slipped his notepad into the pocket of his pants, nodding to the both of them with a small bow. Ayame watched the man walk away, his boots crunching the glass further into the carpet.

With a sigh, she turned to her father and shook her head sadly. "Who would do this to us?"

"I don't know. All that was taken was the money in the register and a few pots and pans."

"He said that whoever it was wanted to cause damage more than steal from us. I just can't imagine who would—"

Ayame's words died on her lips as she caught sight of a familiar figure stepping around the broken front door. Her eyes widened, mouth staying open around the last word she had been trying to say. Her father followed her gaze and sighed heavily, stepping away to meet with the Hokage.

"Lord sixth," Teuchi said. "I'm surprised to see you. Surely there are more important things for you to tend to than this."

Kakashi's eyes were set in a frown and he shook his head, saying something too low for Ayame to hear. Of course, it was hard to hear anything over the rush of blood in her ears. Heat flooded her entire body and she was sure that her face was bright pink from her hairline to her throat. As he spoke to her father, he glanced over to her. It was a brief look that told her absolutely nothing of what he was thinking before he returned his attention to the man beside him.

It seemed he was playing the same game she was; pretending it never happened. Which was good, it was better this way for the both of them. But she couldn't deny that it stung.

She smoothed the front of her shirt and realized with a sharp gasp that she was still in her pajamas top and pants. They weren't too embarrassing, but the top was thinner than she would prefer to wear in public and she quickly crossed her arms over her chest as she took a step toward the two of them.

"I just don't know what we're going to do," her father was saying, making her wince as she reached them. "We spent our savings on the expansion and without a job for either of us, I don't know—" His words were stuck around the strangled sob and Ayame reached for him, pursing her lips to keep her chin from quivering.

It was never easy seeing a man cry, but someone as strong and proud as her father? It was breaking her heart.

"I'm sorry," Teuchi said, waving his hand as if he were being silly. "Excuse me for just a moment."

Before she could reach out to stop him, he was across the room and disappearing behind the swinging door to the kitchen. And in his absence, Ayame stood stiff and nervous next to Kakashi. He didn't look at her, still staring off toward the kitchen and she wracked her brain for any excuse to leave his presence. She rubbed her arms, trying to warm the goosebumps that had started to appear, and opened her mouth to say something, but never had the chance to get the words out.

"Listen, Ayame," Kakashi said quietly, turning to face her. She didn't dare meet his eyes. How could she after the way he had looked at her last night? Instead, she focused on the overturned table in front of her as he continued. "I wanted to apologize for bothering you last night. Drinking isn't something that I do often and when I do, I tend to make an ass of myself. So, if I said or did anything to offend you, I'm sorry."

Oh.

_Oh_...He didn't remember.

Realizing her mouth was hanging open, she snapped it shut and nodded, unsure of what else to even do. "You didn't."

Kakashi glanced around the room and reached into his pocket, pulling out a bit of white fabric with the ends tied in a knot. It was her bandana and she instinctively reached up to her hair, eyes flickering up to meet his. She remembered the way his hands pulled it from her head seconds before his fingers tangled through her hair and the memory made her breath still in her lungs.

"I don't remember much, but I do know that I somehow got a hold of this."

She quickly took it from his hands and folded it as small as it would go, hoping no one else had noticed the exchange. Thankfully, the detectives still working about the room didn't even know they were there. A blush still crept up her face and she ducked her head.

"Nothing happened."

"Ayame, I need to—"

"So sorry about that." Teuchi stepped back up to the two of them and Ayame had never been more relieved to see her father. Her heart was nearly ready to burst out of her chest. "I don't tend to get emotional except for things closest to my heart."

He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her tight, pursing his lips as he surveyed the destruction around them once again. In the dim light, his age showed in the wrinkles around his eyes and mouth. She clenched the bandana tighter in her hands.

"It's going to be okay, Pop. I don't want you to worry about money. I'll find another job and I'll find a way to pay for the repairs."

"You can work for me." Kakashi's voice made both Ayame and her father turn to stare up at him. He seemed surprised by his own words and he reached up to rub at the back of his neck. "I mean, if you want to. I've been in need to a personal assistant for a few months and haven't been able to find anyone suitable for the job. But its yours if you want it."

A thousand reasons why taking the job would be a horribly bad idea flashed through Ayame's mind at the speed of light. She opened her mouth, closed it and opened it again, still not sure what to even say. The shock of Kakashi offering her a job only minutes after apologizing for drunkenly coming onto her the night before was staggering. And since Ayame took much too long to respond, her father did it all for her.

"Oh, Lord Sixth! That's so very generous of you, isn't it Ayame?" Her father pushed his elbow into her side, and she let out a yelp before clamping a hand to her lips. "It would be an honor to have my daughter work under you, Kakashi-sama."

What was happening?

Did she not get a say in this at all?

"Ah, actually, I don't…" Her father turned to look at her, his eyes rimmed red from tears. She took one look at them and let her shoulders fall. There was no way she could turn this down, knowing that while Ichiraku was under repairs, she would have no income, and neither would her father. Who even knew how long it would take to find another job that would pay well enough?

Ayame sighed and lifted her gaze to the man next to her father. Again, it was impossible to read his emotions in his eyes but there was something there. It was gone in a flash, just a fraction of the same heat she had seen behind his gaze last night. It was enough to make her body react. She swallowed her previous words and nodded.

"If you think I would be a good fit, I'll be happy to try."

Teuchi was pleased and hugged her tightly. She knew he was relieved to have at least one of his worries lifted and she was as well. But that did little to ease the knots already twisting through her stomach. As he stepped away, Ayame risked a glance back up at the Hokage.

He hadn't taken his eyes off of her yet and beneath his gaze, she shivered. Now that her father had stepped away from the conversation, she could tell Kakashi that this wouldn't work. She could easily find another job and help with the expenses, though she doubted that any would pay as well as the one she was being offered. But how was she supposed to work so close to the man who was staring at her like he was ready to devour her? Making out with the Hokage in the middle of her father's restaurant was bad enough. What was going to happen when she was alone with him in his office? She'd never be able to muster up the strength to resist him twice.

And though he played it off as if he didn't remember what had happened, something in his eyes told her that he was almost _counting_ on her inability to resist. What a cocky, little bastard. She pursed her lips and folded her arms over her chest, defiant against the look he was giving her.

Kakashi tilted his head to the side and she noticed the outline of his lips through his mask curling into a small smile. "I'll give you a few days to rest but you can start Monday, if that's alright with you."

"Monday sounds fine. Thank you, Kakashi-sama."

"You're welcome, but please, Kakashi is fine." With a gentle hand to her shoulder, he gave her another smile and turned to leave the broken, destroyed shell of the restaurant. Ayame stood for several minutes after he left, unable to shake away the feel of his touch on her as she quietly stewed.

She felt as if she were stuck between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, this was exactly what could help her family bounce back after such a devastating occurrence and she _was _truly thankful for the job offer. If the incident of the previous night hadn't happened at all, she would be positively beaming with relief like her father. But it had happened, and she had a decision to make.

Did she want to risk the chance of it happening again, with the added realization that she more than likely wouldn't be able to stop herself the next time? Or, did she want to back out and find some where else to work? Either way, she was afraid that the friendly, albeit strange, relationship she currently had with Kakashi would change forever.


	3. Favors

.

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Despite what Ayame had told the Hokage, Monday was _not _fine to start her new job. Even after taking the entire weekend to rest and prepare herself, she was no closer to being ready than she was the day he had offered her the job. Not to mention, she had a serious lack of clothing that _didn't _have some sort of food stain on it. She couldn't exactly wear her old clothes to a job like this.

He was the Hokage, and if she was going to be his personal assistant, then she had to dress the part. Luckily, she had managed to keep a simple, white blouse free of grease stains and paired it with a below-the-knee, button up skirt. She just hoped it was good enough for her new position.

The only times she had ever visited the Hokage, which she could count on two fingers, she hadn't paid a bit of attention to what any of the administrative workers were wearing. Of course, the shinobi had all been wearing the similar, tactical clothing. But it would be a little strange if she showed up wearing something like that.

After she had destroyed her closet in the attempt to find a decent outfit, tied her tennis shoes and slipped the handkerchief back around her hair, she was still feeling stressed. It all gathered and sat in a bundle on her chest and no matter how much she assured herself that she could do this, it wouldn't budge. And so, as she left her quaint, one bedroom apartment above Konoha's only shoe repair shop, Ayame had to take a few deep, calming breaths.

The old man who owned the shop below her home lifted a hand to wave as she passed, not looking up from sweeping off the front steps. She was happy he hadn't looked at her. He had grown so used to her sunny disposition over the past two years that seeing her in the current frustrated state might make him curious. Having to explain to him why she was so frustrated would only make her more so.

She hurried off down the street, checking the time on the watch around her wrist. She was going to be early…far earlier than Kakashi would be. At least she could be certain of that. But by the time she had walked through the front doors of the Hokage tower, Ayame had gone through several levels of anxiety. At the moment, she was bottoming out in panic mode and didn't even know why she was feeling this way.

Sure, it was mostly because the village's Hokage had drunkenly kissed her and then didn't remember a thing the next day. And not to mention, her father's entire legacy was riding on her being able to help pay for the repairs to the restaurant. Oh, and how could she forget that the man she would be working for was the one man she had crushed on for the past _several _years and even after she had thought she was over it, he brought back every single feeling she ever had in a split second—

"Can I help you?" A nasally, irritated voice asked from the back of the main lobby, snapping Ayame out of her worried thoughts.

She released the hold she had of her thumbnail between her teeth and dropped her hands to her side, finally blinking in the dim light to the direction of an L shaped desk beyond the elevator doors. A woman, barely tall enough to see over the raised portion of the desk blinked at Ayame. She quickly crossed the room and laid her hands down on the desktop, forcing a nervous smile.

"I'm supposed to start today? As Ka—the Hokage's assistant." Speaking about him so informally was probably not something a personal assistant was supposed to do. But whether the old woman caught it or not, Ayame couldn't tell.

With a nod, she shuffled out from behind the desk and snatched a leather bound planner as she went. She slapped it into Ayame's hands and turned to the elevators as the younger woman struggled to catch the book in time. She clutched it to her chest and stared after her with wide eyes.

"You know how to make coffee?" Her words were followed directly by a hacking cough and sniff that sounded thick and mucusy. For a moment, Ayame was too stunned to respond or move. All she could do was stare after her. At the elevator, the woman turned and lifted a thin, whiskery eyebrow and Ayame quickly caught up.

"Y-yes, I can make coffee."

"What about tea?" She pressed a finger into the button for the top floor. The doors slid shut and the car lifted them through the levels.

"I can make tea. I actually worked at my father's restaurant for—"

"Every day," the woman started, her crackling words cutting right through Ayame's sentence. "You'll come in and brew some coffee. The Hokage likes a cup on his desk when he gets in."

"Right." Ayame nodded. "And when will he be in?" The question was almost too much for her to even form in her mouth.

Luckily, the old woman didn't ignore this. She offered a simple shrug as the elevator stopped and the doors opened up to the top floor. She shuffled out into the hall and lead the way past a double door that Ayame knew led to Kakashi's office. Just seeing it was enough to make her nervous again.

"He shows up when he shows up. Now—" the woman pushed her shoulder into a narrow door and held it open for Ayame to slip inside. The room was long, but barely a closet, with a countertop and cabinets lining one side. A small coffee pot, two burners that looked as if they had existed when time began, and a small rack of basic spices sat on the counters. "This is where the coffee maker is. We keep the gourmet up in the top cabinet and it's reserved for foreign guests. Konoha citizens get this."

Ayame glanced to the canister that the old woman slid toward her on the counter. It was the same bran that she used at home and she forced a smile through her pursed lips. "I think I can remember that—"

"Some guests want tea. This is where we keep it."

After far too much time spent explaining the basics of operating a coffee maker and tea kettle, the woman finally led her out of the cramped space and back out into the hallway. She pushed through the double doors and Ayame held her breath, just in case Kakashi had popped in while she was learning the basics of coffee making from a century old woman.

But his side of the space was empty. Well, empty of him anyway. Stacks of papers and documents, folders and boxes marked 'confidential' littered the floor of his office. It was so disheveled and disorganized that Ayame's jaw fell slack and the woman leading her through the office gave a grunt of a laugh. "This is your mess now."

There was a smaller office on the opposite side of the room, kept separated by a thin partition of sliding doors. The interior had the same kind of floor as the main office but there was a worn out rug that at one point, was probably quite beautiful. It was clearly a hand me down but Ayame didn't mind. It would be nice to rest her feet on it after a long day.

A desk was pushed to one side and a small computer sat on top of it with a thin layer of dust on the bulky monitor, and a telephone next to the outdated keyboard. The sound of the woman dropping her hand onto the top of it startled Ayame and she jumped. "This is where you'll take the calls. You press 1, it puts them through to the Hokage. If he's in a meeting, don't press 1."

"Right. Even if the village was on fire, I won't press 1."

The woman must not have had a sense of humor. She blinked up at Ayame and let out a long, tired sigh of annoyance. Before either could say anything to remedy the awkward silence, the elevator in the hallway dinged and Ayame felt her spine straighten. She had no time to panic. The prick of fear had barely begun to bubble beneath her skin by the time Kakashi was making his way into his office.

His presence was very commanding, despite the yawn he was currently hiding behind his forearm. Dressed in a dark grey vest and long sleeved black shirt beneath it that hid none of the muscles of his arms, Kakashi noticed the two of them standing there and stopped in the doorway to the small office. A smile was evident behind his mask.

"Good morning, ladies. Su, are you showing Ayame how to handle things up here?"

Su offered only a snort in response before she turned away from him and pointed to the book still clutched in the younger woman's arms. "That's the schedule for the next month. Don't try to memorize it because it's going to change fifty times. If you have any questions, try to figure it out on your own before you bother me."

And with that, Su shuffled past the Hokage and out the door, leaving the two to stare after her. As the elevator whirred to life in the hall, Kakashi turned back to Ayame with a smile in his eyes. "Su's been filling in for the past few months. I don't think she likes me very much."

"I get the feeling that she doesn't like anything very much."

He laughed and the sound made her feel things she had been trying to ignore since last week. Mainly the butterflies in her stomach that didn't seem to want to go away. Ayame ducked her head and set the leather bound planner on her new desk.

"Would you like some coffee?"

"That would nice, thank you." He stepped away from the door and moved further into his office. Ayame spied him out of the corner of her eye as she passed, watching him stroll to his desk. He sat down in the chair with a sigh and she hurried back into the narrow kitchenette.

Once the door was shut behind her, she let out a breath and hung her head. So far so good. She had survived the first few minutes of her new job and surely that would be the most awkward. Hopefully he wouldn't bring up the incident that had happened between them. She could barely think about it. Talking to him about their kiss was out of the question.

She planned to keep this strictly professional, no matter how good he looked today. So good her stomach was clenching with nervous knots and she had to fan herself with the empty, flattened box of tea bags.

The coffee took far longer to brew than she had been expecting but judging by the age of the appliances that she was forced to work with, it wasn't that surprising. Su hadn't told her which brand of coffee Kakashi preferred, unfortunately. On a whim she chose the gourmet and hoped he wouldn't care too much if it wasn't what he was used to.

She placed a steaming mug on the center of a metal tray that she found in one of the cabinets overhead, along with a cup of creamer and a small dish of sugar. She balanced it easily in one hand as she navigated the hallway and into his office. Years of waitressing trained her well for the task. Though she had been hoping this job would have given her a break from serving people food, at least she wasn't thrust into unfamiliar territory already.

Back in the office, Kakashi didn't look up from the pages laid out in front of him and Ayame was thankful for it. She set the tray on the desk and without a word, he reached for the handle of the mug, ignoring both the cream and sugar. She'd have to remember that he took it black.

Ayame took the tray and turned toward the door. Before she could slip back out into the hallway, she heard the Hokage sputter into the liquid. By the time she whirled back around to face him, his mask was back around his nose and he was blinking in surprise.

"What kind of coffee is this?" He asked, staring down into the mug.

Crap. She had chosen wrong after all and with a wince, she offered an apologetic smile. "It's a gourmet blend. I didn't know which one you prefer. I'm sorry. I can make a new pot if you want."

He waved a hand and shook his head. "No, that's alright. It just caught me off guard. Is this what we've been giving to people?"

Ayame nodded. "That's what Su told me anyway."

"We might need to find something different."

Again, she gave a small nod and hurried to deposit the tray and unused sugar and cream back into the kitchen area. She washed and towel dried each dish and as she made her way back into the office, she could hear Kakashi speaking to someone. With a glance into his side of the office, Ayame was surprised to find his desk empty. She turned to her side and blinked at him standing next to her space, the telephone in his hands.

Shit.

She hadn't even heard the phone ring…Did this make her a bad personal assistant already? He turned to lift an eyebrow to her as she stepped further into the room and the smile creasing the corners of his eyes made her breathe a small sigh of relief.

"Yes, of course," he said into the phone, cradling it against his shoulder as he motioned with his hands for a pen. Ayame rushed around the desk and pulled open the long drawer in the center, finding a mess of paperclips, sticky notes and thankfully, a single ink pen. She uncapped it with her teeth and handed Kakashi it and a blank sticky note.

He took it from her and scribbled a quick message as he spoke politely to whoever was on the phone. Cautiously, she leaned forward and read the writing as best as she could. His penmanship was atrocious, and she blinked at the letters, trying to make them out. Was he even writing words?

' _Squirrel nest—animal control no help'_

Kakashi dropped the pen onto the desk and cut his eyes to Ayame with a sigh. He put a hand to the mouthpiece of the phone and rolled his eyes. "She calls every week."

Ayame winced, wishing she had been there to take the call. The Hokage shouldn't have to deal with issues as trivial as these. She mouthed 'I'm sorry' to him and he winked before standing up straight and putting the phone back to his ear to listen to the disgruntled citizen.

It wasn't the first time she had been winked at. Working as a waitress gave her plenty of experience with overly friendly men who thought with a wink and a smirk, she would be more willing to go home with them. And though she had successfully resisted every single man who went this route with her, seeing the Hokage, the man she had been crushing on for the better part of the last decade, wink at her was sending her insides into a frenzy.

Her heart was pounding, and she could feel the small of her back tingling with perspiration. She was praying to the deodorant gods that the brand she used would do its job and prevent her from smelling badly. Because if he could make her feel like this with just a wink, she was going to have to double up the amount of swipes she gave her armpits.

Kakashi was saying something and nodding to the phone, lowering it closer to the receiver and Ayame forced herself to snap out of her deodorant daze and frazzled thoughts.

"Of course. Uh-huh. Yep, you too." He dropped the phone back onto the base and shook his head as he looked up at her. "You'd think that if you have a squirrel problem, you wouldn't put out bread crumbs for the squirrels to eat every night."

"I'm sorry. I should have been in here to answer the call."

Kakashi waved her off and plucked the sticky note from the desk, handing it to her. "Don't worry about it. There will be hundreds of calls today for you to practice with."

Ayame nodded and looked down at the note, pressing her middle finger along the strip of tape along the back. She didn't know why she couldn't look up at him. Maybe she was worried he would wink at her again and she would come unraveled at the seams.

Across the desk, Kakashi pushed his hands into his pockets and turned away from her, strolling through the doors back into his side of the office. Just as he reached the door, he glanced back at her. "The number for animal control should be in the directory beside the phone. Tell them Higa-san is having squirrel problems again."

He offered another smile that Ayame could only see in his eyes and after she gave a small nod to him, he made his way back to his own desk and returned to his paperwork. From where she stood, she could only see his elbow and she let out a breath and closed her eyes now that she was out of his line of sight. She took a seat at her chair and picked up the phone.

Sure enough, the village directory was a small notebook attached to the base of the phone and the number to animal control was the top entry. Fortunately, it wasn't the first time she had called them. Shortly after moving Ichiraku into the larger building, they had found a nest of honeybees that had been occupying the attic. Animal control had been prompt, and happy to relocate the swarm. Hopefully they would still be just as friendly.

The day passed by uneventfully after the first hour she had worked. Kakashi had been right about one thing; there had been probably a hundred, maybe more, calls throughout the day for her to practice on. She couldn't help wondering if every single citizen had an issue they needed to call about. It sure as hell felt like it.

After lunch, she had made a pot of tea for one of the guests coming to visit Kakashi and just as she brought it out to serve it to the two business men, they were asked into the meeting. Still, Ayame offered them only the friendliest of smiles despite having made enough tea for several cups only to have it all wasted.

Kakashi offered her an apologetic smile as he shut the door behind them, and she turned back to her office with a heavy sigh. She left the tray of teacups and the sugar bowl on the small table for now and looked at her desk. Three filing cabinets had been shoved into the corner behind it and along the wall, she noticed a door frame.

Was it a closet?

That didn't make much sense. It should have been the kitchenette directly behind the wall…which meant, someone had stupidly blocked the door that would have made her job far more convenient. Ayame kicked her shoes off and padded to the filing cabinets. She knocked on the door from over the top of them and inside was hollow.

For the remainder of the hour, she attempted to move the heavy cabinets from the corner. She found them a great place behind the new position of her desk closer to the center of the room. She had managed to pull one of the cabinets, after completely emptying the behemoth of all of its contents, into its new space along the back wall when Kakashi's last meeting was wrapping up.

The two business men looked at Ayame as they filed out of the Hokage's office and eyed her bare feet and the stack of folders, papers, and files she had pulled out of the filing cabinet. They gave her a nod of acknowledgment and filed out into the hallway that stretched in front of the elevators. Behind them, Kakashi took their place at the door and he tilted his head to the side as he stared at her.

"Do you need help?"

"Oh," she said, looking down at her mess. "I thought I could move these cabinets and have better access to the kitchen. That way I wouldn't be running back and forth so often. Is…that alright?"

"Of course." Kakashi moved closer to the center of the room and stopped just on the opposite side of her desk. He picked up one of the folders and looked inside before dropping it back down onto the small pile. His eyes met hers and Ayame had to force herself to breathe. "Do you need some help?"

She blinked at him, her brain taking several seconds too long to realize he meant help with moving the cabinet and not help with her momentary loss of oxygen. "N-no, I won't trouble you with this."

"Please do. I need a break from staring at village expense records." He was rolling up his sleeves and moving to her side of the desk before she could even think about telling him no. His gaze moved down to the carpet beneath him and he let out a small breath of a laugh. "I like your toenail polish."

Warmth flooded Ayame's face and she looked down to her bright blue toenails. She had given herself a pedicure the night before to try to take her mind off of having to be in the same room as Kakashi for the next few months. It hadn't worked then, and it definitely wasn't working now. She forced a smile and tucked a strand of hair that had fallen out from under her kerchief behind her ear.

"Thanks. My shoes were rubbing my heels a bit raw—Oh!" Her eyes went wide and she stumbled back into the desk as he easily lifted the next filing cabinet, filled to the brim with heavy files and all. He dropped it into the space beside the one she had managed to move as if he were moving something as light as a pillow.

For a brief moment, Ayame had forgotten how powerful he truly was, and she let out a breath as he turned back to effortlessly lift the next one. She knew for a fact that the last cabinet was a beast. It hadn't budged a bit, despite her throwing nearly her entire weight into it a few moments ago. As Kakashi maneuvered the cabinet into place, she thought she caught a glimpse of the edge of his mask shifting.

Was he _trying _to impress her? Or did he assume she would easily be impressed by his strength because she wasn't used to seeing things like this? She wasn't quite sure why but knowing either of those two answers only made her want to give him the complete opposite of what he was expecting out of her.

She crossed her arms over her chest and pursed her lips as she watched him push the metal beast flush against the wall. "Well, that was certainly a lot easier than my method. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Kakashi dusted his hands off with a quiet clap and gave a nod toward the new position of the filing cabinets. "They look better over here anyway. That corner was looking a bit crowded with your desk as well. Need anything else moved?"

There was a hint of humor to his words, almost teasing and Ayame resisted the need to scowl up at him. She wished he weren't so tall. It was hard not to be intimidated by someone who towered over her… and someone who looked the way he did. Out of nowhere, the memory of his face, particularly the way it had looked after kissing her thoroughly, flashed through her head and she turned away from him to hide the touch of pink that lit her face.

"No," she answered. "I think I can manage the rest. Thank you."

She busied herself with attempting to organize the mess of papers and files she had dumped on her desk, hoping that if she kept her head ducked, she wouldn't be tempted to watch him walk away. Of course, he would have had to actually walk away for her to do that and much to her frustration, Kakashi had only made it as far as the front of her desk. He stood before her, hands casually in his pockets and a strange smile to his eyes that made Ayame's stomach flutter as she finally lifted her gaze to him.

"I have a favor to ask you," he said quietly, the look in his eyes shifting to something that made her feel as if he were about to suggest something that would make her weak in the knees. Before she could answer, he continued. "I need you to come to my house in the morning and wake me up."

Ayame frowned and glanced down at the papers she had gathered in her arms, not sure what else to do. "I don't understand-"

"I have an important meeting at 8 in the morning. I could probably show up late, but seeing as how it's a rather prestigious diplomat from Kunagakure, being late isn't a good idea."

"Don't you have an alarm?"

Kakashi shrugged and took one hand out of his pocket to knock his knuckles absently against the top of her desk. "Unfortunately, my alarm clock didn't survive the last attack on Konoha and I never quite got around to buying a new one."

"Oh."

She thought up a hundred things to say to him. She could go buy him an alarm, he could pick one up on his way home. Hell, the office probably had one sitting around that he could use. It was an ancient appliance, but the coffee maker sitting on the other side of the wall at her back had an option for fresh brewed coffee at a certain time. But despite all the options that she _could _have said, not a single one properly formed on her tongue. Instead, she stood there, clutching the bundle of papers to her chest while staring up at him.

"I just need you to come by around 7 and knock on my door. I'll make it up to you by buying you breakfast on the way to work." At this, he lifted an eyebrow in anticipation of her answer and Ayame blinked.

She had never been to his house before, had no idea where he even lived. The thought of being in his home, or at least at the front door, was enough to make her feel a tad breathless again and she had to tell herself to breathe. Forcing a polite, friendly smile she nodded to the Hokage.

"Of course. I can do that."

"Good." He paused while taking a step back away from her desk. There was something in his eyes, something that resembled that darkened tease he had looked at her with the night he had kissed her. "Oh, but I tend to be a heavy sleeper, so if you can't wake me by knocking, just come on in. There's a key beneath the welcome mat."

Ayame watched him retreat back into his office and once he took his place behind his desk, his words connected to her brain. She blinked after him, her hands tightening around the armful of papers.

Wait, what?

* * *

AN- I appreciate the interest in this fic so far! I'm glad to see people coming around to this pairing since it's been one of my favorites for years. As always, thank you for reading and any comments you may leave :)


	4. Heavy Sleep

Ayame dropped her keys onto the small table just inside her father's house and kicked her shoes off beside the front door. "That you?" She heard him call from the kitchen.

"Yeah."

She took a deep breath, smelling something familiar and instantly comforting wafting from the kitchen. Her heart squeezed tight in her chest as she moved through the foyer and toward the entry into the kitchen. In front of the stove, stirring a pot of broth, stood her father in his socks and comfy clothes. It was easy to see that he hadn't left the house all day. The hair at the back of his head was flat on one side while the other side stood straight up.

"Smells good," she said, peering over his shoulder down into the pot of chicken stock he was warming on the front eye. In another pot behind it, noodles were simmering nicely, and she was happy to see him cooking, even if it was only for the two of them.

Teuchi offered his daughter a warm smile and leaned toward her to kiss her on the cheek. "How was it?" He was eager to find out everything about her first day working for the Hokage and she wondered how many phone calls he had made to brag to distant relatives about her new position.

Resisting the need to sigh, Ayame leaned a hip against the counter and shrugged. There had been nothing interesting in her day that she could tell him, aside from the tension she felt all day. Not that he would care that she had watched the Rokudaime move furniture for her while battling her inner thoughts and the urges to reach out and touch him.

Shaking the thoughts from her head, she turned to the shelf above the sink and retrieved two bowls for him and set them beside the stove. "It was good. A lot of sitting around that I'm not quite used to." She watched her father scoop out a serving of noodles for both of them before pouring the broth over the top. She didn't want to talk much more about her day. "Did you hear anything from the police?"

A part of her was still worried about the cameras from the bank and what they would show on them. Would the police question Kakashi first, or her for not mentioning he had dropped by right after she had closed the restaurant? She didn't know which was worse…unless they spoke to her _father_first.

She felt the color drain quickly from her face but if he noticed, he made no mention. With a sigh, he poured the broth into their bowls and gave them each a strip of seared pork. "I rang them a few hours ago but they were busy with other things. I'll try back at the end of the week."

"The end of the week?" Ayame sat at the table and put her hands down on either side of her bowl. "What could they possibly be busy with? Squirrel nests clogging up someone's gutters?"

Teuchi scowled as he picked up his chopsticks and glanced at her. "That's really more of a job for animal control, Ayame. The police have too much to deal with and they don't need me, or you, calling constantly. When they have something new, I'm sure Detective Tanaka will tell me."

"Pop," she said, her mouth remaining open to argue more but she clamped her lips shut as he gave her a stern look that told her to drop it. Ayame grabbed her own utensils and stirred her noodles around the steaming broth. She didn't have the heart to tell him she wasn't very hungry.

.

.

The morning crept up on Ayame. She had barely gotten any sleep the night before, too terrified of the task Kakashi had set for her. And now she was standing outside of his front door, watching the time tick closer and closer to when he requested she wake him. The morning dew that had collected on the grass in the night tickled her toes through her sandals, and Ayame shook the remaining droplets from her feet. A part of her knew she must have looked like a complete psycho standing outside of Kakashi's front door so early in the morning, but thankfully, after a quick glance around to his neighbors, she couldn't find a single person staring at her.

She took a deep breath and lifted her hand, fist clenched, poised and ready to knock but she held it steady in front of her. Would he answer the door wearing his pajamas? Or, did he even wear any? The thought made her face flush and she shook the sudden mental image of Kakashi standing in his doorway, completely naked from her mind.

Or at least until later, when she could properly enjoy the thought without feeling as if she was going to die of embarrassment. With a short, frustrated sigh, she rapped her knuckles against his front door and stood perfectly still, listening for any sound inside.

The seconds passed and she had to let out the breath she was holding. Had he not heard her? He had said he was a loud sleeper. Squaring her shoulders, she repeated the knock with more force this time, enough to hurt her knuckles. She leaned closer to the door and held her breath as she listened.

Still nothing.

Was this a trick?

Was he pulling some kind of prank on her that she didn't understand? No. He wouldn't do that, not when he knew how reluctant she had been to take this job in the first place. Kakashi could be a bit of a jokester, but he wouldn't stoop so low as to embarrass her on purpose. Besides, he was her Hokage and he was counting on her to do the job she had agreed to do.

Her hand reached for the knob and with a deep breath in and out to steady her nerves, she tested to make sure it wasn't locked. The latch came free and the hinges let out a quick, low creak that made her clamp tightly on her bottom lip. She lifted a foot to step inside, but it came right back down where it had been before.

Oh, this was ridiculous. She was only acting this way because he was attractive. If he was someone else, some old man who didn't make her heart skip a beat every time he looked her way, then she wouldn't be acting like a total child.

All she had to do was imagine that it was their old chef, Ichigo who was laying in that bed, snoring like an animal, hair disheveled and drool dripping down his chin. It didn't totally erase the images of Kakashi she had conjured up, but it did help her nerves enough to make her actually move forward. She stepped one foot in front of the other until she was creeping through his front door.

The inside of Kakashi's home was the opposite of his office. It was very minimally furnished and decorated. Through the closed blinds on his windows, the sunlight could barely slip and what little did breakthrough caught the dust motes floating in the air. Ayame blinked in the dim light, taking a moment to look around. She could see a small couch pushed into the corner of a living area and a table in front of it. A shelf of books ran along the same wall as the front door and there was a potted plant in the corner beneath it. Ayame quietly shut the door behind her and set her bag down on the floor before she kicked her shoes off beside it. She made sure that the breakfast she had packed for the both of them, not wanting to take him up on his offer to buy her anything, was still intact before standing up straight.

There was a hall directly in front of her that was dark at the end, though she could make out a closed door toward the back. If she were a bedroom, that was exactly where she would place herself. Ignoring the kitchen to the right and a small bathroom further down the hall, she tiptoed over the carpet until she came to the door, pausing to press an ear against it. On the other side, she could hear light snoring and nothing close to the sound she had imagined Ichigo would produce. Pinching her lip between her teeth, she stepped back and knocked on the door.

The breathing inside never faltered and she knocked again, this time much louder. From inside the room, Kakashi groaned but if Ayame had hoped he would wake up, she was wrong. He had told her he was a heavy sleeper and that she should wake him by any means necessary, but this was ridiculous. She hoped that '_any means necessary' _meant he gave her permission to enter his bedroom. Of course, if she could even bring herself to. Her entire body trembled anxiously as she took his doorknob and turned it. She squeezed her eyes shut and pushed the door open until she could hear his breathing better and could hear the motor of a small fan. A second later, a cool breeze blew her hair over her shoulder and she shivered.

"Kakashi," she whispered, not letting her eyes open even though she was dying for just a little peek. "_Kakashi_. Get up."

No response.

Ayame put her hand out in front of her as she inched her way closer to the bed. She could feel the breeze from the fan better now and it did little to help the goosebumps covering her flesh. One foot tiptoed in front of the other across the floorboards until her knee hit the side of the mattress and something a bit harder.

A leg?

She risked a peek and opened one eye to see that he was his knee hanging halfway off the bed. Her eyes followed the leg up to where Kakashi lay face down on the mattress, a sheet covering him from the waist down while his back and face were completely bare, half-buried into his pillow.

Oh god, he slept in the nude!

She shuffled back quickly, clamping her eyes shut as her heels caught on a small, circular rug beneath her. Ayame reached out to grab the only thing she could see to keep her from toppling over, and unfortunately, it was a small lamp sitting on his bedside table which did nothing to keep her on her feet.

The lamp smacked into the wall with a loud thump before crashing to the table and she felt herself falling backward, her feet still tangled in his rug. From the bed, the sheets rustled, and the springs of the mattress creaked from the weight of someone shifting on top of them.

No, not just _someone_. _Kakashi! _

She didn't dare open her eyes, knowing that if he was awake and getting out of bed, the sheet around him was more than likely going to fall to his feet. Seeing him completely naked on her second day of work wasn't exactly what she had in mind when she took the job.

A hand snatched her around the wrist and for a split second, held her suspended in the air, teetering on the back of her heels. A tiny breath of relief slipped from her lips. But, all too suddenly, she was lurched forward by the hand around her arm and Ayame opened her eyes just in time to see the mattress and sheets flying up towards her.

No, she was being shoved down onto them.

Before her face could smash into exactly where Kakashi's chest had been laying moments ago, she was spun onto her back. Her hair covered her face like a curtain, but she didn't need to see to know exactly what had happened.

The weight of Kakashi's body on her hips, the feel of his hands pinning her hands to the mattress on either side of her head and the sound of his heavy breathing all combined to paint her an image that was far different than she could have ever imagined on her own.

For a moment, she didn't quite know what to do. She blew her hair away from her eyes and blinked up at Kakashi's bare face, unable to keep her gaze on it for long. His shoulders rose and fell from his breathing, his bare chest doing the same. The myriad of pink scars that crisscrossed his torso left her mouth somehow as dry as the desert and dripping wet at the same time. And following the stretch of muscles down where their bodies were pressed together, she could see the elastic of his boxers riding rather low on his hips...his hips that were currently pinning hers to his bed.

"Ayame?" he asked in confusion once he was able to find his breath. She watched him blink through the haze of whatever dream he must have been having to make him react this way to her intrusion into his room. Under any other circumstances, this would have been quite hilarious. But, seeing as how it was happening to Ayame and not anyone else at the moment, she didn't feel the urge to laugh. Instead, she gulped and stared up at the Hokage through a mess of brown hair.

"Good morning," she offered innocently, hoping he wouldn't be too furious at her for wrecking his room. "You asked me to wake you up before 8 this morning?"

Kakashi didn't move, didn't even respond. He stayed where he was, on top of his new assistant, keeping her pressed hard against his mattress with his hands and hips. It was all a bit much for poor Ayame's heart, which was beating furiously against her chest while the rest of her body was rejoicing at the circumstances.

After a brief moment of silence, Kakashi spoke. "Were you planning to hit me over the head with my lamp to wake me up?" He nodded to Ayame's left where her arm laid stretched out beside her. Still gripped in her hand was his table lamp, the shade hanging uneven against the bulb. Through the commotion, she had forgotten she was even holding the thing. She let go of the lamp and winced as it rolled off the edge of the bed and clattered to the floor.

"Of course not. I tripped and that was unfortunately just the first thing I could grab." Ayame glanced back between them and swallowed hard, not sure how to feel about there being only one layer of cotton between her and _his_… Blinking up at him, she tried to pull her hands out of his grip and found that he still had a tight hold on them. "C-can I get up?"

In a flash, he released her and stepped off the bed, stooping to pick his poor lamp up off the floor where she had let it drop. As he straightened his nightstand, Ayame found it hard to even move. She stared up at his ceiling for a brief moment, but it was enough time for her imagination to run absolutely wild. Would this be what she would look up to see if they had _slept _together? Why did his sheets have to be so soft? Why did she want to pull him back into bed and pin _him _down this time? All the questions that she couldn't even begin to answer quickly dried her mouth right up, and she licked her lips as she sat upon his bed.

"Sorry," Kakashi said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'll try not to throw you on my bed the next time you try to wake me."

_Next time?_

Ayame was conflicted between the relief she felt at his words and the sudden disappointment at hearing them. She sat on the edge of his bed, staring up at him, unable to find anything to say back to him. The realization that he was standing three feet away from her, half-naked and bare-faced, was like a light bulb going off in her mind. Her eyes couldn't be stopped as they fell down the length of his body, drinking in every delicious dip of his muscles, from his sculpted shoulders all the way to the V on both of his hips that disappeared beneath the waist of his boxers. She had always imagined under his jounin uniform he was built like some sort of god but could have never imagined it was this good. How was he real? She must have been dreaming. There was no way this was actually happening.

Her alarm would go off in a minute or so, ripping her from the most glorious dream she could ever have and she'd be in her own bed, tortured by the memory of what her imagination had conjured up. But, the seconds ticked by and the shrill call of her morning alarm never sounded. All she could hear was someone from far away, calling her name.

"Ayame?" Kakashi waved a hand in front of her face, snapping her quickly from her daze and she jumped back with a bounce on his bed.

"What?" She asked, her mouth definitely dry as a desert now. She needed water, both to drink and to be doused in. With a chuckle, Kakashi reached out and took her by the hand, pulling her from her seat.

"I need to get dressed." He shook the black fabric he held in his hands and Ayame realized that he was holding his pants.

"Oh! I'm so sorry. I'll just be...outside." _Dying of humiliation. _

She hurried across the room to his door and back to the front of his house where her shoes sat, waiting for her to return. Slipping her feet in them, she snatched her bag up and hurried out into morning sunlight that had broken free from the clouds. It's warmth was a perfect match for how heated she was now feeling. With a bit of space between them, Ayame could finally catch her breath and let her body relax. Oh, who was she kidding? There'd be no relaxing for her until she could either release some of this torturous tension inside her or quit her new assistant job.

_Fuck!_

She didn't curse very often and could probably count on one hand how many times she had ever said one out loud but if there was ever a time she needed to scream it at the top of her lungs, this was it.

Fuck, fuck, FUCK!

This was bad. Their little flirting was manageable, if not a bit pathetic but this? She was practically _aching _to go back in there and let him do whatever he wanted to her. And that was just not something she was capable of handling. It was in complete opposition to her personal set of rules.

She wound her fingers through her hair, clamped her bottom lip between her teeth and stared up at the clouds passing slowly through the sky. Her personal code for men had been the same since she was a teenager, and not just because she had a father who was a firm believer in a strict curfew for his daughter. It was one she had set for herself, knowing that she had far greater responsibilities than finding a cute boy to date.

But ever since the night he had drunkenly stumbled into her restaurant and kissed her so thoroughly she feared she'd never experience something as good, she had been willing to go against everything she had ever believed in. And even now, after this brief existential crisis, she couldn't be sure that she wouldn't let Kakashi do things that she had never let another man do to her.

Of course, she had had sex before. She was twenty-eight years old, but there were certain boundaries she had set for the men she dated and some things she didn't feel comfortable doing with men she knew she wouldn't be with forever. And it wasn't as though she thought she and Kakashi would be together, at all or forever. So why was she acting like this?

From behind her, his front door opened, and she quickly dropped her hands to her side, whirling around to face the now fully dressed Hokage. He smiled at her, the tops of his mask shifting up as his eyes wrinkled in the corners. "Ready?" he asked, meeting her out on the pathway that led to the street.

Ayame opened her mouth and quickly shut it again, torn between her morals and her desire. She knew she should tell him thanks for the opportunity, but this wasn't going to work. All that this would lead to was heartache and misery and she didn't know how she knew, but she could feel it in her bones. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to say the words that sat so heavy on the back of her tongue.

She peeked up at him, lost in the way he looked at her like she was the only person in the world. He had such a calm, relaxed expression, but behind it all she could see something else, something that mirrored the storm of desire raging inside her. It shut the rational part of her brain up immediately, leaving her at a loss for words. Before she could even think about asking him about it, he blinked the look away. Ayame could only and she watched him stuff his hands into his pockets before he turned toward the street beyond his house. After a few moments, she caught up to him and together they walked in silence toward the Hokage Tower.

It was only when they were halfway there that she remembered she had made breakfast for both of them. "Oh, I almost forgot." She pulled her bag in front of her and dug through the mess inside for the container of egg muffins inside. "I made you something to eat."

Kakashi stopped walking and turned to her, his eyes wide as she held out a clear plastic container with two scrambled egg muffins inside. "You did?" he asked, waiting for her to peel the lid away.

Ayame nodded and pulled his out, holding it by the cupcake wrapper she had baked them in. "They're egg muffins. They have egg, obviously, spinach, mushrooms and a bit of seasoning in them." She couldn't help smiling proudly up at him as he took one of the muffins from her. His mask slipped down his face and he took a bite. The sight of him being so open with her caught her off guard, which was completely ridiculous, seeing as how he had just been half-naked in front of her not even fifteen minutes ago.

"Mm, this is good! Thank you, Ayame," Kakashi said once he had swallowed his bite with a smile.

They continued down the path, as quietly as they had before. He finished his breakfast, and Ayame peeked up at the side of his bare face, studying the tip of his scar and that adorable beauty mark beneath his lips. Despite the enjoyment she felt from seeing his face, her curiosity spiked suddenly and she couldn't stop herself from opening her mouth to ask the question she had been wondering for a while now.

"Why do you do that?" she asked before her brain could catch up with her body and stop her.

Kakashi dusted his hands off and slipped his mask back into place before glancing down to her at his side. "Why do I do what?"

"_That," _Ayame said, pointing up at his mask. "Why do you not care if I see your face when you make a big deal out of other people seeing it?"

"Do you not like it?"

Ugh! Why did he have to ask that? Something told her that he already knew the answer to that and just wanted her to say it out loud. Dropping the food container back into her bag, Ayame crossed her arms over her chest and scowled up at him.

"I didn't say that. I'm flattered that you do...I just—" she sighed, blowing a bit of hair away from her face. "I'm just curious, I guess."

Kakashi brought a hand to his chin in thought, keeping his eyes focused on the road ahead of them. A long moment passed with him deep in thought and Ayame figured it meant that he wasn't going to answer her. She stared down at the dust clinging to the drops of dew still covering her toes. "I just figured we were friends. I could stop, if you want me to," he offered, with a hint of playfulness in his tone.

"No," she said with a soft shake of her head. "I don't want you to stop."

"Good. I don't want to stop."

Her eyes lifted but she didn't look at him, too afraid of what she would see behind his stare. It was always a mystery with him. Would she see the friendly twinkle he usually had when playing and joking around, or would it be that intense desire that set her bones ablaze? She couldn't risk it being the latter, especially when she wasn't sure she could trust herself not to do something completely brazen...like try to kiss him. Instead, she kept her stare straight ahead on the road, not focusing on anything in particular as her thoughts raced away once again fueled by her overactive, hormone-driven imagination.

"You know," Kakashi started, ripping right through the fantasy of him still being on top of her in his bed and Ayame cleared her throat, hoping she could keep a clear head while he spoke. "I never asked you how the investigation was going."

That had pulled her officially out of her fantasies, and she repositioned her bag on her shoulder with a sigh she let out, blowing the hair away from her face. Things had been tense the previous night after their conversation at dinner and she could see he was stressed out about the entire situation. Which was completely understandable.

She just wished he would let her help more than working for repair money. He never opened up and thought the father should be strong and weather the storm, so his family didn't have to. Ayame glanced up to Kakashi and shrugged. "It's not going at all right now. They said they would call by the end of the week with any new information."

"What about the insurance? I know your father was worried about his policy and whether it would cover all the damages."

Ayame winced. She hadn't asked him about that at all and she knew if there were a problem with it, he certainly wouldn't let her know. "I'm not sure. Hopefully what I make working for you will cover the difference but I—"

"Ayame?" A familiar voice behind her made her whirl around to see Jin standing on the sidewalk. He had a black apron looped around his neck and he tied it behind his back as he stepped out into the street to greet her with a smile. "I thought that was you."

She tucked her hair behind her ear and forced a smile. He wasn't exactly the person she cared to see at the moment, but she would be friendly. "Hello, Jin. Are you working for the grocer?"

He looked down at the logo on his apron and grinned. "Oh, yeah. Had to take a part-time job to pay the bills until Ichiraku opens back up. How're you two holding up?"

Ayame glanced back at Kakashi and blinked in surprise to find him as still as a statue, his eyes half-lidded but not in the usual, lazy manner. He looked almost…jealous? No, that was preposterous. What did he have to be jealous of anyway? She turned back to Jinn and was glad that he didn't seem to notice the strange look on the Hokage's face.

"We're okay. Just a lot of waiting around for information."

"They ever figure out who did it?" He put his hands on his hips and looked up at Kakashi this time, giving him that typical guy head nod. "Hokage, how're you?"

"Fine."

Quickly, Ayame answered Jin's first question, though he didn't seem to catch the curt tone in Kakashi's answer. "No, not yet. But we will."

"We should get going if we want to make that meeting," Kakashi muttered as he leaned down to her ear. Despite how terse he sounded, hearing his voice so close to her made goosebumps pop up along the back of her arms and she quickly rubbed them away.

"Right. I should go." She turned to see Kakashi already heading in the direction they had been walking and she stumbled to catch up with him. "See you later!"

The walk continued in silence, well past the point where the grocery store and Jin were far enough behind them and Ayame risked a glance up at the man to her right. He seemed relaxed, his hands stuffed in his pockets and eyes focused on the road ahead of them, but upon closer inspection, she noticed his jaw clenched behind his mask.

She opened her mouth, intent on changing the subject to anything that would lighten the mood but was cut off by him speaking first. And his question made her steps falter in the middle of the dusty street.

"Was he your boyfriend?"

When it was clear that Kakashi wouldn't be pausing to wait for her, she hurried to catch up. She readjusted her bag and swung it to the opposite shoulder. "Jin? No. He's liked me for a few months, but I don't like him that way." _I like you that way_. She had to bite her tongue to keep those words from falling out of her mouth.

"How come?" He still hadn't looked at her and she wasn't sure if she appreciated his questions. Was it any of his business why she did or didn't like someone?

Still, Ayame felt compelled to answer her Hokage's inquiries into her love life and with a shrug, she tilted her face up to the sky. "Well, for starters," she took a breath. "He's a player. He's pushy and from what I've heard in passing gossip, he's a bit controlling."

At this, Kakashi stopped and she dug her heels in the ground to keep from passing him. She turned to face him and stared up at him. What in the world had come over him? Had she said something offensive without realizing it?

"You don't like someone taking control?" Again, his answer left her partially speechless and she opened her mouth to quickly close it once more. She dropped her gaze from his eyes, settling on the front clasps of his uniform.

"I—I'm not sure. I've never been with someone controlling so…" She trailed off, not exactly sure where her train of thought was going anyway. Again, she didn't feel it was any of his business to know this kind of thing and she raised her eyes to meet his. The look from before, the one he had given her outside his house was back and she felt completely trapped by it.

She watched, her breath frozen between an inhale and exhale, as Kakashi lifted a hand and brushed the hair away from her forehead. He tucked it behind her ear and let his fingertip graze the lobe before he dropped his hand back to stuff into his pocket.

"Maybe you just need the right person to take control."

Her jaw dropped halfway to her chest before she could stop it and as she closed it, her teeth popped together noisily. The edge of his mask lifted on the right side in what she could only guess was a teasing smirk that would leave her in a puddle on the street if she could see it. Kakashi's gaze held hers until the last possible moment before he turned and continued the rest of the walk to the Hokage Tower.

"We don't need to be late for that meeting," he called after her, snapping her out of her daze.

She tried to swallow but there was no moisture left in her mouth. It was completely dried up by the heat of his gaze and that touch he had given her that would make her tremble for the rest of the day…possibly the week.

Somehow, she managed to turn toward him and find the will to move. He glanced back at her over his shoulder and she could see the smile in his eyes. It was no longer teasing, at least not in a sexual manner, and she let out a short breath. How could he turn it off and on so easily? It wasn't fair and she didn't know how long she'd be able to take it.

* * *

AN-

I don't think Ayame stands a chance...


End file.
